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Tuesday, January 20, 2015

YOU GUYS.I have news. This week and next we're going to be doing a series in which we talk all about book series. I'm calling it The Series Series. Here's the run down:

All week this week I'll be talking about all things series related. Then, next week, I've got a line up of some really fabulous bloggers who will be sharing their favorite series and answering a few questions about them. Reading over their guest posts has been so much fun, and I'm really, really excited to share their posts with you guys. (Seriously. You are in for a treat.)DO YOU LIKE A GOOD SERIES? THEN THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU.We're kicking things off with a list of the series I've read from beginning to end, and whether or not I'd recommend them. Why? Because SERIES ARE AWESOME. This list is actually a lot shorter than I realized. As it turns out, I start a lot more series than I finish. (And the first four bullets on this list are pretty much the same for everyone else in the world.) But oh well! Here's my list!The Harry PotterSeries by J.K. RowlingNumber of Books: 7Series in 5-word: Boy Wizard Triumphs Over Evil.Overall Feeling: I am a HUGE Potter fan. I can think of nothing to say that hasn't already been said: this series is awesome. Probably the greatest series ever written.Conclusion: Reading this series is maybe the single greatest bookish decision I've ever made. Read it.The Hunger Gamesseries by Suzanne CollinsNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Girl On Fire Gets PTSDOverall Feeling: I love the first two books, though I did not love the third. With time I've learned to appreciate that ending more, but I still struggle with it. (I will say, however, I am loving the film adaptations though.)Conclusion: Though I'm a little conflicted over the ending, I still think this is a very powerful series that you won't easily forget about. Read it.The Twilight Series by Stephenie MeyerNumber of Books: 4Series in 5-words: Girl Finds Consuming Vampire LoveOverall Feeling: I was in college when these books came out, and got as swept up in them as the next girl. The last book really threw me, though, and not in a good way. Though Bella and Edward's dependent relationship certainly has problems, it was (mostly) fun to read about. Until that last book. I've never really recovered from it.Conclusion: If you want a paranormal love story, then let's be honest: this is the series to read. Be warned, however, that this story has the potential to make you extremely angry.The Divergent Series by Veronica RothNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Unnecessary Things Happening In SuccessionOverall Feeling: That first book and that last book are like polar opposites. One is dynamic, one is stagnant. One is exhilarating, one is frustrating. Unfortunately, the stagnant frustration is the taste left in your mouth when you're done.Conclusion: Skip it. There are a lot of other more fulfilling dystopias out there.

The Grisha Series by Leigh BardugoNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Light And Darkness Do BattleOverall Feeling: I initially picked up this series because HOLY COW those covers are gorgeous. Little did I know, the inside was just as spectacular as the outside. Conclusion: Prepare to be swept up on a tide of adrenaline in this fast paced, heart wrenching, and totally awesome fantasy.The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. TolkienNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Hobbits Elves, Wizards, Oh My!Overall Feeling: This series set the bar for fantasy novels, and after reading it myself, it's easy to see why. The epic scheme of this series is really, really incredible. I left the series with a serious admiration for Tolkien.Conclusion: This is the perfect series to read slowly. Read it to a child, and then study elvish together.

The Under the Never Sky series by Veronica RossiNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Fight For Life and LoveOverall Feeling: Remember how I said above that there are other more fulfilling dystopias out there? This is one of them. Conclusion: One of my favorite dystopias and definitely worth the read!

The Graceling Series by Kristin CashoreNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Different Stories Come Together BeautifullyOverall Feeling: This series completely consumed me at a time when I really needed a distraction, so I'm a bit partial to it. This was one of the first series I read with totally different protagonists in each book, but, for this series, it really worked. The adventure, excitement, and major feels make this series well worth the read.Conclusion: Fantasy lovers should definitely read this series, if you haven't already!

The Assassin's Curse Duology by Cassandra Rose ClarkeNumber of Books: 2Series in 5-words: Pirates and Assassins Kick ButtOverall Feeling: The spunk factor made this series a big win for me. I hesitate putting it on a list about series because, although it is technically a duology, it reads much more like a stand alone novel, and I think of the two books as one single book instead of as a series. But I still loved it.Conclusion: Adventure lovers, read this duology and then join me in my quest for a pet manticore.

The Selection Trilogy by Kiera CassNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Prince Must Choose His BrideOverall Feeling: Although this series was far from perfect in my eyes, I still thought it was immensely enjoyable. Conclusion: This series is great entertainment for fans of The Bachelor. You'll have to squint your eyes a few times to try and not let the (occasionally large) issues distract you, but you'll certainly have fun.

The Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin GierNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Time Travelling Newbie Goes RogueOverall Feeling: This series was just fun. It made me laugh and I enjoyed reading it quite a bit. I doubt I'll read it again, but it was worth reading it once.Conclusion: Read this series if you like time travel, if you don't mind instalove, and if you want a story that doesn't take itself too seriously.

The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams ChimaNumber of Books: 4Series in 5-words: Different Agendas Clash Big TimeOverall Feeling: I LOVE this series. Like, it's one of my favorite fantasy series ever. The political intrigue was spectacular, and it was balanced so well with the action and excitement. I really don't have a bad thing to say about this series, other than I feel like more could be written. (And that's not just me being a fan that doesn't want the story to end: I really think there's more to this story, and I would like to read about it.)Conclusion: This series is a MUST. Read it.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns Trilogy by Rae CarsonNumber of Books: 3Series in 5-words: Rae Carson Blows My MindOverall Feeling: If you had asked me after the first thirty pages of the first book if I would be continuing this series, I would have said no. Luckily I continued, because what followed was a tremendously wonderful story about a girl coming into her own. I feel like this series is part fantasy, part action/adventure, part quest novel, and part coming-of-age story. And all those arcs were pulled off extremely well.Conclusion: I can't tell you how many times I've recommended this series. And now I'll recommend it again: READ IT.

Which of these have you read? Do you agree with my comments on them? Are you as surprised as I am that I actually haven't finished that many series??

23 comments:

Great list. I loved Hunger Games and Divergent. Hunger Games is one of the few franchises where I think they did an AWESOME job with the film adaptation. I have never ever read Harry Potter, which seems crazy to me. Ha

Hahahaha I love the sound of the Series Series. Looking forward to your future post! I, of course, have to agree with anything you say about Harry Potter, and I also really liked The Hunger Games. I think I'm one of the few people who actually appreciated Allegiant, although Insurgent was a mess. I've read Graceling, don't really feel the need to continue the series even though I really liked it - I thought it worked as a standalone. I'll also be continuing the Grisha series soon! :D

Thanks, Inge! I'm glad SOMEONE out there liked Allegiant, but I certainly didn't. While Insurgent didn't measure up to Divergent, I still thought it was enormously better than Allegiant. Sorry, but I'm afraid Allegiant and I will never be friends.I think any of the books in the Graceling series could potentially be standalone novels, but I liked having them bundled together, personally. Good luck with the Grisha series! I hope you like it as much as I did. :)

I love this. I've read Harry Potter (love), The Hunger Games (love, even Mockingjay), and Twilight (love, even Breaking Dawn). I've read Divergent, but not the other two. I'm leery because of things I've heard, which you've confirmed. Not sure what to do...

Haha! RE Divergent: I understand the feeling of obligation that comes with books you own, but WOW was I irritated with Allegiant. I'm just trying to spare you that massive let down. But who knows, maybe you'll be one of the few who like it. I didn't realize Kami was one of those few!

I adore Harry Potter and the Lord Of The Rings. :) I also enjoyed all three of Kristin Cashore's books, though Bitterblue meandered a little too much for me. Same goes for The Hunger Games; didn't like the last book as much.

Still going through the Divergent trilogy (only have Allegiant left), and just read Shadow and Bone earlier this month and LOVED it. Cinda Wiliams Chima and Cassandra Rose Clarke are on my TBR list, and I've heard of Rae Carson's series but haven't decided whether to check it out yet. Though your write-up may have tipped the scales in its favor... ;)

Oh yay! Glad you enjoyed so many of these. I definitely recommend Cinda Williams Chima and Cassandra Rose Clarke and Rae Carson. They are all three spectacular writers with phenomenal imaginations. You'll have a great time with those series. Really.

Glad to hear about the GoFaT love! I recommend it to everyone around me, regardless of whether they generally read fantasy or not, because I feel like there is just so much genre crossover appeal with that series.

You've just added a ton of reads to my TBR. Don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing :) I never got around to reading the rest of the Divergent series and it does look like there are a lot of more worthwhile series out there.

I need to read a handful of these like (Seven Realms and Girl of Fire and Thorns). But I love Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and the Grisha Trilogy. I like Divergent I just felt like things got too different as the books developed when they should have gotten less complicated. Some amazing picks though. A lot of them are on my TBR list.Cassi @ My Thoughts Literally

Yeah, I enjoyed Divergent, and even mostly enjoyed Insurgent. But I have a lot of issues with Allegiant. I just can't get behind that book. I think you would love Seven Realms and GoFaT. I hope you read them!

Great post! I was interested to see a mix of series' I'm familiar with and ones I've never seen before. Quite a few of them have been recommended to me in the past, so after reading this I'm motivated to hop to reading them. The Series series is a great idea XD

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